It’s been about two years since the website has launched. Being that I launched it around Labor Day 2019, I have been happy with how things have progressed. Careerwise I could not have forseen all of the changes that would happen over the last two years. I know I have mentioned that I have returned to the shooting industry but I was purposefully not specific about where I took a job.
As it relates to some of the new product spotlights I’ll be doing in the coming weeks and months it is important to me to disclose where I am so people are aware there is a bit of a bias. I am currently working for Creedmoor Sports located in Anniston, Alabama as a Senior Technical Product Expert. A lot of my time is spent on new product creation, but also as a technical resource for customers who might need a bit of help when it comes to reloading, and general shooting questions.
This website was created while I was working in the mining industry as a way to fill my time during a period of care and maintenance where the mine was shut down. We still had to be on-site to make sure the equipment did not walk off, but I had so much free time that I built a website that would help share my passion with the rest of the world. Now that I work in the industry, I am able to share that passion with like-minded folks every day. This is not a declaration that the website will go away, rather it is to expose the bias you are likely to see. I am likely to review many new Creedmoor products as many of them are of my design or came out as a combined effort between myself and other members of our team at Creedmoor. Since I had a hand in their creation they are my “babies” and I am anxious to both get the word out and also to solicit discussion and reviews of these new products from everyday people.
This is likely the only post you will see about it, though I will be updating the “About” page. I do not like to “toot my own horn” but I also want to be honest and forthright about any perceived bias. That may come across in my future posts. I have been working at Creedmoor since February 2021, but somewhat worried about conflicts of interest and wanting to get settled into the new position prior to making any announcements I opted to wait. Anyway, this website will continue to grow independent of my employment, and I’ll do have plans for new projects and finishing old ones all in due time. Meanwhile, if you have new ideas for reloading equipment, shooting equipment, or anything related to that, my ears are always open.
There are a few other industry news segments that are worth touching on. Those who do a lot of online reading on Firearm Blogs and Websites will be saddened to hear that Chuck Hawks has passed. His website, ChuckHawks.com, founded in 1997 was one of the first online gun rags out there and many of us perused his pages. It is sad to see another industry influencer go. The official announcement on his website can be found here. Thanks, Don for bringing this to my attention.
As far as new firearms go, the most notable firearm I have seen announced is Smith and Wesson’s M&P 12 which many will point out is very, very similar at least in form of the KSG 12 that Kel-Tec has been making for some time now.
Smith and Wesson claim this shotgun has basically been designed from the ground up to operate the new 1 3/4 long 12 gauge shells that were first made popular by Aguila and have since been standardized by SAAMI. At the time I note that we very likely see new shotguns that were designed around this “Mini” shotshell now that it had been adopted by SAAMI. We did not have the wait long.
As I have not handled one, I really cannot give much beyond my first visual impression. I think it looks very tactical, and I can see where it would have some real-world application but it is really not the sort of gun that really appeals much to me. I am too much of a traditionalist, for the most part, I tend to buy with my eyes, and I like traditional-looking shotguns and rifles. Also, it is of note that it would seem that Smith and Wesson really took a stab at Kel-Tec, which would not be the first time a Kel-Tec design was more or less imitated. Ruger did it with the LCP about a decade prior.
I am still waiting for the ammo maker to come out with an all brass shotshell about the same length as the 1 3/4 but can handle pressures of around 21,000 to 36,000psi. You would truly have close to a 2 3/4 shell performance out of a much smaller shell. Likely the best of both worlds. When that does happen, I’d like to convert my Benelli over to feed them.
There is one last thing I might touch on for a moment. We often think of things in isolation. Meaning what happens to one thing, or in the case of one issue, does not bleed over into other things. For example, what might happen in an Abortion Rights Case, will never bleed over to anything related to firearms. After all what could the two issues possibly have in common? Again, to be clear in my bias here, I am ardently pro-life, so I approach things through that lens.
If you have been following the news, Texas has pulled an interesting trick to try and get around many of the legal barriers to restricting abortion rights. Regardless of how you feel about the issue, it is worth understanding how this law was set up. Basically, it allows for individuals to civilly sue abortion providers if abortion is allowed to take place prior to 6 weeks. The Supreme Court upheld the law, but only because the plaintiffs lacked standing. This law made it so that the State was not enforcing the law, but it was enforced by citizens through the use of civil courts.
How does this relate to firearms? Well, again, the legal world does not live in isolation. What happens on one issue, may have some carry over to other. There has already been talking of trying to hold firearm holders legally responsible for crimes if their firearm is used. I believe in some jurisdictions you can be held legally responsible, which may include doing time if you are in violation of reporting a missing firearm, and it gets used in a crime. While this Texas law still has to work through the courts and is not in the clear just yet, I would be wary of similar proposed laws being put on the books regarding firearm owners.
How hard would it be for an FFL to get liability insurance if the State in which he/she resides has a similar law? Something that says in essence, that if an FFL sells a firearm and then that firearm is later used in a crime then a civil suit can be filed against the FFL and monetary fines can be assessed. Then it is not the State that is enforcing or infringing on the Right, at least not directly. While we think we would always win the favor of the courts, this has not always been true. I think FFL’s would find it impossible to operate in states where such laws were in place.
Yes, right now this is speculation, but I would not be at all surprised to see this trick pulled in States where the Firearm Laws are already quite strict. Pay attention, not saying that we should oppose or support the law in Texas, just saying keep your eyes open. If I was on the other side of the debate, my first response to this law would be “Huh, neat…”
That’s all I have for this week. As always if you are looking to get in touch, the best way is to send me an email at jay@theballisticassistant.com. You may check us out on Parler, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. If you’d like to submit a load to our load database, the instructions are here.
As always, shoot straight and stay safe!
The Ballistic Assistant
Kudos to you!
For your forthrightness and for finding employment in a field about which you’re passionate. May you spend decades able to say and feel “It’s not work – I’m doing something I really like.”
Saw a social media post recently about a tween learning to fly and while doing an excellent job in the right seat of a light aircraft, telling his left-seat mentor “I can’t wait til they pay me to do this.”
Not all of us are so lucky. Some of us never are. But sounds like you have found a role where they just may be paying you to do something fulfilling. May the feeling last til the end of your days, sir!